


On the Job

by chimaeracabra



Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Boyfriend Steve Rogers, F/M, Fluff, Good Boyfriend Steve Rogers, Psychologists & Psychiatrists, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-01
Updated: 2016-09-01
Packaged: 2018-08-12 08:30:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7927870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chimaeracabra/pseuds/chimaeracabra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>OFC comes home to tell Steve all about her day working with psychiatric patients.</p>
            </blockquote>





	On the Job

**Author's Note:**

> I won't say here where I work or describe the title of my position to a great degree. Obviously, I won't be using any real names or posting confidential information. My job is what inspired this story, and the instances described are from actual events I've either witnessed or heard about from coworkers. Fun stuff. Never a dull moment!

            After a long, tiring day of patients screaming at nurses for their meds, throwing cups of juice at staff, threatening to slit doctors' throats, threatening to poke out eyes with keys, and breaking medical room doors, Melissa is relieved to walk into the house to find that Steve has finally installed and turned on the AC, whipped something up for dinner, and poured her a glass of wine. She places her purse on the rack by the door, steps out of her J-41 Tahoes, and sighs, walking into the kitchen where she can hear the TV. She finds the Captain standing there in a pair of red shorts, and flip flops, otherwise unclothed, aside from the Rolex around his left wrist.

He smiles sideways. His icy eyes immediately zone in on the cranberry juice stain on her scrubs from the patient who was aiming at the nurse behind the desk, where Melissa unintentionally intercepted.

            "Melly, my god," he says, his smile fading and eyes widening, "When you texted me about that at lunch time, I sorta thought you were joking," he adds, turning the stove off where some fish is done filleting. Steve sighs and crosses his brawny arms. To his surprise, she smiles. She hasn’t been working at a psychiatric hospital for very long—just over two months—but the experiences she's getting are now telling Melissa that she probably doesn't want to be a psychiatrist.

            "Well, the patient wasn't exactly aiming for _me_. I just got in the way."

            "Be that as it may…are you sure you're _safe_ working there?" Steve asks, cocking a wheat gold eyebrow. Melissa sighs, tapping her foot. Her eyes fall on the glass of red wine on the table behind Steve. She gravitates towards it. His tone changes to a more apologetic one.

            "Melly, you know I support your career goals—I really do—"

He fades out a bit as she busies herself downing the red wine. But then his voice is right at the back of her head, and she feels a pressure around her waist when he holds her.

            "I support your dream to be a doctor, and the fact that you're finally getting experiences with patients, that you're helping people, and all of that amazing stuff, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn't worried about you."

            "Well, Steve," she says, leaning back against his chest and looking up at him, "I still have student loans to finish paying off, too. This job pays more than EMT."

Steve sighs and gives her a squeeze. He kisses her temple.

            "Besides, it's not like I'm alone when I'm on the units. That's especially why they put more male staff on  east 3. If anything, I've been told that if you start on the worst unit, then nothing really fazes you when you float to the rest of the less acute units." Melissa recalls her discussion in the break room with Gianna earlier that day, grinning. It was true; after supervising patients who make threats, throw and break things, she isn't really put off by anything anymore.

            "Well, people have been punched, I've heard, but almost never while I'm working."

She gazes up at Steve's expression, and can tell without him saying so that he's not on board. He turns her around by her hips and lifts her so that she sits on the table top.

            "You haven't told me _that_ before, all this time."

            "Steve—"

            "That's no minor fact to omit, honey," he explains, placing his large hands on the table on either side of her. Momentarily distracted by the flex of his arms, Melissa rubs the length of them with her hands.

            "Well, east 3 is the most acute unit. But they float me around. I'd say the rest of the hospital is much less scary to work in. It's not like they didn't teach us how to defend ourselves and avoid possibly dangerous situations. I promise I'll be fine. It's really just the people who yell a lot that get my heart rate up a little bit sometimes."

Steve sighs, thinking for a moment before kissing Melissa's forehead.

            "You're one of the bravest women I've ever known. But please, just be careful. I'd hate to get a call from your boss telling me you were sent to the emergency room because of a patient."

Melissa clutches Steve's chin, and eventually, he smiles toothlessly.

            "Some days, it's really not that bad. There's always the designated problem patient that sets everyone else off, though. And then there are the patients that are pretty pleasant and easy to deal with, who wouldn't hurt a fly."

            "You're far too caring, Melly," Steve admits, something he has actually greatly admired about her from the moment they met.

            "It's the kids I feel the worst for. They have some really sad stories. Reading their assessments makes me want to cry sometimes…there's really a lot of people in pain out there, Steve. You should see them."

            "Oh, baby, I've seen pain. _Believe_ me."

The sound of the TV drowns out as the pair embrace for a handful of seconds. When Steve inhales deeply and begins to pull away, Melissa anticipates what he will say next.

            "No offense, baby, but you smell like…" Steve sniffs the collar of her shirt, "Piss?"

His nose wrinkles. Melissa laughs, resting back on her hands on the table.

            "It _always_ smells like piss in the hall on east 3. Many of the patients are still detoxing from heroin or whatever drug it is that they overdosed on before coming to the hospital."

            "Dear god," Steve breathes. Melissa presses her hands to his sturdy chest, leading him backwards so that she can hop down off the table. She goes immediately for the Lysol wipes under the kitchen cabinet.

            "They don't allow deodorant on east 3, either. Apparently, a patient once tried to eat it as a suicide attempt. Sometimes, the odors go with you in your clothes. Let me shower, then I'll come down and eat," she explains, thoroughly wiping the spot where Steve had sat her moments prior. Melissa expects to find a disgusted expression on his face when she turns around, but Steve had simply cocked his head to the side and watched her with interest while she wiped the table.

            "Troubled folks," he says, shaking his head slowly.

            "I'll pour you another glass," he explains, kissing the top of her head before Melissa starts out of the kitchen. She showers, taking her time from head to toe. By the time she makes it back to the kitchen, Steve is sitting there reading the paper, two plates full of food set up and waiting on the table. He grins up at her with relief as she saunters to her seat in a white tank top and a pair of pajama shorts.

            "You look more relaxed already," he explains.

            "Steve, this looks amazing."

            "Well, I just wanted to make your day. You make my job sound like a walk in the park. I think they should pay you more."

            "That's what everyone says!" she laughs, but it's true. Deep down, he's right. The job was dangerous and for some people, extremely emotionally trying. Her coworker Mac was always meditating in the break room with his eyes closed and white noise on during shifts. Unable to resist, she tells Steve about the time the other week when a patient threatened to have Mac's family killed, just because he wasn't going to dial the patient's sister after the patient had already asked staff to do it multiple times.

            "And sometimes, you really just have to laugh it off. Those people were admitted to a psychiatric hospital for a _reason_."

            Steve gradually looks a little bit less worried the more Melissa tells him; there are good stories, too.

            "I thought this guy was coming over to hit me once, but violence was totally not his demeanor. He said, 'I was just giving you a high five. I wasn't going to hit you.' He stood there for the longest time smiling after I gave him the high five. He was actually one of the most pleasant patients on the unit. Totally harmless guy, just suffered from a mood disorder and slight educational disability." Steve laughs.

            "I've heard so many stories about patients hitting staff on that unit, so I won't take any chances and not keep my wits about me. Everything in the hall is on camera, anyway. A patient once accused my coworker of pushing him. But they reviewed the security footage to find out that the patient hit my _coworker_ , and was rebound by his _own_ force, so he fell on his ass. Some of these people are just pathological liars, to be honest. It's kind of amusing at times."

            "The way you tell it almost makes it sound like it's not even a risky job," Steve explains, folding his hands behind his head and grinning.

            "I love the nurses. They're always really nice. But they don't get the credit they deserve. Hopefully, it's at least worth the money."

            "Well, when you're a doctor, you won't be dealing with those crazies," Steve says somewhat seductively, pulling Melissa's legs into his lap and massaging the calves firmly.

            "You're going to be great, Melly."

She smiles.


End file.
